What Is the Most Eco-Friendly Way to Be Buried?
In recent years, we’ve seen a significant shift towards more ecologically friendly burials.
People want their legacy to have a positive impact on the earth.
In the United States and Canada alone, there are now 359 hybrid cemeteries, 85 natural cemeteries, and 23 conservation cemeteries certified by the Green Burial Council.
These numbers reveal a trend we can’t miss… more Americans are opting for green burials.
In this day and age, people want to do what’s right for the earth. If you’re one of those people, this blog post is for you. We’re going to look at the most eco-friendly ways to be buried.
What Is an Eco-friendly Burial?
There are many ways to make a burial more ecologically friendly. Below are the best ways to respect and honor the environment when burying a loved one.
Biodegradable Caskets
Traditional caskets can take decades and even centuries to decompose. Choosing a biodegradable alternative is an excellent choice for an eco-friendly funeral.
Skip the Embalming Process
The embalming process uses harmful chemicals, which are absorbed into the soil. It’s best to avoid using embalming fluid altogether, although some products are approved by the Green Burial Council.
Shallow Graves
Having a shallow grave promotes faster decomposition and encourages the body to join the earth naturally.
Natural Burial Sites
For the most ecologically sound option, choose conservation cemeteries with no concrete vaults.
Sustainable Funeral Practices
To promote a greener experience, minimize the use of cars and transportation and keep your funeral as simple as possible.
Natural Markers
Use plants or simple stones instead of headstones to mark the grave. You can even plant a tree in honor of your loved one.
Conservation Efforts
Plant trees or native plants over graves to encourage local vegetation to grow and thrive.
Avoid Synthetic Materials
Bury your loved one in natural clothing, and if you bury them with any mementos, make sure they are biodegradable.
Minimal Landscaping
Preserve the natural habitat where your loved one is buried with minimal landscaping. Instead, let native plants and local vegetation grow freely.
What’s the Difference Between Traditional and Eco-Friendly Burial Options?
Traditional burials use embalming fluid to preserve the body. This fluid is toxic, and its only purpose is to ensure the body is presentable at the funeral service.
There is a concrete vault to contain the casket. The manufacturing and transportation of the concrete vault are harmful to the environment, and it prevents the casket from decomposing over time.
The casket is often made from wood treated with harmful chemicals, steel, metal, or fiberglass. Depending on the material used these caskets are designed to last as long as 100 years.
There are also aspects of the service that are environmentally harmful, like using a long procession of vehicles and having many guests flying to the event.
Eco-friendly burials do everything they can to avoid any negative environmental impact. They don’t use embalming fluid, they avoid concrete vaults, they use biodegradable caskets, and use natural markers instead of headstones.
Top 5 Eco-Friendly Burial Options
1. 🌿 Conservation Cemeteries 🌿
If you want a green burial, this is probably the most eco-friendly option. Conservation cemeteries are very different from traditional cemeteries in that they don’t have gravestones, manicured lawns, or typical markers.
Instead, your loved one will become part of their natural surroundings. Local vegetation will be encouraged to grow and thrive over their burial site.
Conservations often have a communal area where mourners can go to remember their loved ones in a peaceful and tranquil environment.
However, because there are so few conservation cemeteries in the country, a plot can become quite expensive.
2. 🌿 Natural Cemeteries 🌿
Unlike hybrid cemeteries, which are the most popular green burial sites in the United States and Canada, natural cemeteries don’t have any traditional burials on the grounds.
It still looks very much like a cemetery, which makes it different from conservation cemeteries. However, plants often replace headstones, and all burials are green.
There is no use of harmful embalming fluid and many natural cemeteries won’t allow concrete vaults.
Plots at natural cemeteries are often more affordable than conservation cemeteries, but they can still be quite expensive.
3. 🌿 Biodegradable Caskets 🌿
Biodegradable caskets are made from natural, untreated materials like wood, wicker, and cardboard. They decompose easily without leaving toxins behind.
Wood takes five to 25 years to decompose (with hardwoods taking the longest), wicker takes two to five years, and cardboard only takes three months to a year.
Because they are sourced from sustainable materials (e.g., FSC-certified wood), they require less energy to produce. And they’re often made from recyclable or renewable materials with simple designs, so there’s minimal waste.
You’ll pay between $300 and $1,000 for cardboard or simple wood casket, between $1,000 and $3,000 for bamboo, wicker, or softwood, and between $3,000 and $5,000 for sustainable hardwoods.
4. 🌿 Shrouds 🌿
A shroud is a soft fabric covering for the deceased. For an eco-friendly funeral, choose a fabric that’s easily biodegradable.
Wool is a popular eco-friendly burial option as it decomposes easily. It can also be ethically sourced and should be untreated.
You can easily make a shroud at home with your friends and family and have it become part of the process of saying your goodbyes.
Because shrouds can be a DIY project, they are not expensive. You simply have to pay for the materials. However, you can also purchase beautifully crafted shrouds if you’d like to.
5. 🌿 Biodegradable Urns 🌿
Although cremation isn’t the most ecologically sound practice, it is still far better than a traditional burial. Biodegradable urns are an eco-friendly version of cremation.
You take your loved one's remains and either bury them or send them out in water in a specialized urn that is designed to dissolve.
Biodegradable urns are often made from sand, compacted peat, rock salt, coconut shells, and other natural materials, depending on whether you want them to decompose in soil or dissolve in water.
These specialized urns can cost between $50 and $350, depending on the design and material used.
Lesser-Known Eco-Friendly Burial Options
1. Water Cremation
Also known as aquamation, water cremation uses a mixture of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide and water to cremate the flesh of the deceased.
The solution is heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and results in only the bones remaining. The bones are then dried out and compressed to create ashes.
The process is still new and is only legal in twenty states in America.
2. Mushroom Suit
This is where the body is buried in a suit made from mushroom spores that are designed to eat away at non-living human tissue.
The toxins that are typically released from a body are then absorbed by the mushrooms and purified.
Instead, nutrients from the body are passed on through the mushrooms to the ground and natural vegetation.
3. Human Composting
Human composting, alternatively known as recomposition, is when the body is decomposed into soil through a natural process.
Organic materials like wood chips and straw are heated in a container with the body to promote the body’s decay.
It takes around a month before the remains turn into soil, which can be taken home by family members to use in their plants.
Unfortunately, as it’s still relatively experimental, this process is only legal in three states right now.
Additional Ways You Can Have an Eco-friendly Funeral
Here are some extra ways you can make your funeral more environmentally conscious:
Avoid vehicles: Have the procession walk or cycle to the funeral instead of driving.
Have a virtual memorial: To avoid people flying and driving from all over the country, hold a virtual memorial service.
Choose local, biodegradable materials: When choosing your casket or shroud, make sure the materials are ethically sourced and biodegradable.
Pick an accessible location: When choosing a burial site, choose one that is easily accessible for those closest to the deceased.
Use sustainable catering: If you choose to serve refreshments, ensure the food is sustainable and the cutlery and plates are reusable and not single-use items.
Final Thoughts
Reducing our carbon footprint is the responsibility of each and every one of us, even in death.
Eco-friendly burial options allow us and our loved ones to leave behind an environmentally conscious legacy.
Planning a funeral and burial is never easy, but taking the first steps in choosing to have an eco-friendly burial is something you can be proud of.
If you don’t know where to start, consider beginning with one of our EcoRest caskets, designed to help your loved one return to the earth in a natural way.
